sponsored by The Boston Foundation
Explore Massachusetts’ vibrant political and civic landscape with incisive commentary from legislators, local activists, seasoned political analysts, and interested residents across the Bay State.
CommonWealth Voices aims to be a beacon of robust discourse, offering a platform for analysis and advocacy on the challenges and aspirations of political life in Massachusetts.
The Boston Foundation is deeply committed to civic leadership, and essential to our work is the exchange of informed opinions. We are proud to partner on a platform that engages such a broad range of demographic and ideological viewpoints.
Cannabis reform bill is important step forward
We need laws and regulations that enable us to thrive —not just survive — and give us a fair shot at growth and sustainability.
As leaders of state and regional organizations, we’re sounding the alarm on Trump’s attacks on the arts
Our economic competitiveness, our educational excellence, and our role as a beacon of equality require us to protect and preserve our cultural sector. Every resident can play a role in this defining moment.
Here’s how we can help solve the student loan crisis: sell the debt
This policy change would replicate how the government resolved the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s — by negotiating steep discounts from the bank lenders, which allowed countries to repay much lower amounts, restoring their credit ratings. We should borrow from that experience.
Why ‘cathedral thinking’ matters now more than ever
We may not win every lawsuit or campaign right now, but that doesn’t make our efforts hopeless. It makes them formative. In the spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the arc of the universe bends towards justice because people keep pushing.
Trump cuts would devastate community colleges, undermining lower-income students striving to better their lives
If enacted, the budget moves would wreak havoc on campuses everywhere, but especially at the nation’s 1,100 community colleges, including 15 here in Massachusetts, which enroll a third of America’s undergraduates, including the poorest, most underserved and vulnerable students in all of higher education.
Tallying the crucial impact of Medicaid in Massachusetts
Medicaid provides coverage to over 1 in 4 Massachusetts residents, playing a vital role in our state’s health care system and the strength of our economy.
It’s time to rein in ‘junk’ rental fees
MASSACHUSETTS RENTERS ARE already grappling with sky-high housing costs. Now imagine trying to renew your lease, only to be hit with a $300 lease renewal fee. Or needing to sublet your apartment for a few months and being told that’ll cost another $400. Or logging in to pay rent and finding there’s a $15 processing…
A decade of local flavor: What the Boston Public Market has taught us
Public markets like ours are part of the civic fabric in many cities. They bring character and identity to a place, provide economic opportunity, and foster a sense of belonging.
Massachusetts is under economic attack
The Trump administration is waging economic warfare against Massachusetts by turning political points into lethal policies that weaken higher education, life sciences, maritime trade, and tourism — key pillars of our economy that account for about one-third of the state’s gross domestic product.
71 years later, Massachusetts must deliver on the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education
71 years after Brown — and 50 years after the beginning of Boston busing — Massachusetts schools remain deeply segregated by race and class.
The Commonwealth has the money to protect the common wealth
While Gov. Healey is right that Massachusetts can’t make up the $16 billion in federal funds the state receives annually from the federal government, we have to be prepared to protect our people from the worst of the harm coming from Trump.
A statewide nicotine ban? Why stop there?
Many of the things adults choose to do are dangerous. Are we going to ban them all?
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